Gluten free chocolate peppermint shortbread cookies are a fun holiday treat! Add some holiday cheer to your dessert tray with these festive cookies. Buttery shortbread plus melted chocolate and crushed candy canes combine into one delicious cookie recipe!
I love holiday cookie recipes that do double duty, especially at this time of year. If I can make one type of cookie dough, and then do two or three variations from that one recipe, I’m happy! Less time in the kitchen is always a good thing.
I shared gluten free slice and bake chocolate shortbread earlier this week. It’s an easy recipe, and especially good if you want to prepare the dough and freeze it ahead of time.
Using the same recipe for the shortbread dough, I came up with these gluten free chocolate peppermint shortbread cookies. These are good if you have someone in your family who likes a fancier, richer cookie.
I have one son who prefers simpler sweets, and one who loves lots of chocolate and candies and “extras” on his desserts. He loved these!
It’s really simple to fancy up these cookies. Just wait for them to cool completely, then add some melted chocolate chips to one side, and a sprinkling of crushed candy canes on top. Instantly festive and fun! If you love peppermint, try adding a couple drops of pure peppermint extract to the melted chocolate chips.
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Ingredient Notes
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I like Namaste Perfect Flour Blend for cookie baking. It’s easy to find in many stores, and it produces consistent results.
- Powdered Sugar – You may wonder why this recipe uses powdered sugar instead of regular sugar. I find that powdered sugar gives this shortbread a very light texture which is very nice.
- Vegan Buttery Spread – We use Earth Balance Soy Free Vegan Buttery Spread, and I find that it gives shortbread cookies a wonderful, buttery flavor.
- Allergy Friendly Candy Canes– Spangler candy canes are really easy to find in many stores at this time of year, and are made and packaged in their own facility are free of the top allergens. You will see a very clear allergen statement on the box. Read Spangler’s allergen statement here. Of course, there are other brands of candy canes that may be safe for your particular needs. YumEarth and Wholesome are brands to look into, although they are made in facilities that contain some allergens, but not all allergens.
Step by Step Instructions
- Mix up the cookie dough.
- Form the dough into two logs, and wrap in waxed paper or parchment paper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
- Slice the chilled dough into rounds that are ½ inch thick. Use a very sharp knife for best results.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 13-16 minutes.
- Once the cookies are cool, dip in melted chocolate and top with crushed candy canes. Let the chocolate firm up before serving. Enjoy!
Freezing Cookie Dough
One thing that’s great about this recipe is that you can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it! Then just pull the dough out of the freezer when you’re ready to bake it. This cookie dough can be frozen for up to three months.
Tips for Success
- This dough should be cut into slices that are about ½ inch thick. To make sure your slices are even, you can lightly mark the dough with the edge of a knife before cutting all the way through.
- Be sure to chill the dough. If this gluten free shortbread cookie dough isn’t chilled, it will be too thin, and will spread a lot during baking. Chilling the log of dough and slicing it will yield the best results.
- Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper so that the cookies don’t stick to the pan.
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Recipe
Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread Cookies.
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
- 1 cup vegan buttery spread I use Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Spread, you could also use the baking sticks.
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup gluten free flour blend
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the chocolate glaze and candy topping:
- 1 ¼ cups dairy free dark chocolate chips
- 3 candy canes
Instructions
- Place the vegan buttery spread, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Add the gluten free flour, cocoa powder, and salt, and mix on low speed until combined.
- Divide the cookie dough in half, and place each half on a piece of waxed paper. Shape into logs and wrap in the waxed paper. Refrigerate the dough for at least two hours. If you are making this dough ahead of time to bake later, you can freeze it at this point.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut the logs of dough into ½ inch slices. Place on the cookie sheets with 1 ½ inches in between them.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 13-16 minutes. Allow to cool on the cookie sheets before moving.
- Melt the chocolate chips on high in the microwave for about one minute. Stir, and if not fully melted, microwave in 10 second intervals until melted. If you want a stronger peppermint flavor, you can add a couple of drops of peppermint extract.
- Unwrap the candy canes and place in a ziploc bag. Crush them with a rolling pin.
- Spread some melted chocolate chips on half of each cookie. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top.
- Allow the chocolate to firm up before serving. You can stick the cookies in the refrigerator for a few minutes to help the chocolate firm up.
Katie
Delicious recipe!
Leah
Can I use regular all purpose flour? Any adjustments?
Kelly Roenicke
You should be able to do that! Just add a bit more if it seems like the dough is too wet.